Prologue
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It was later reported to be an electrical malfunction; the cause an overheated television set, left on throughout the night. The fire grew out of control extremely quickly, and Number 4 Privet Drive was burning to the ground before the first responders had even arrived. There was a single survivor. Harry James Potter was a small boy, no more than four years old, with a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. For some reason, he had been in the cupboard under the stairs, the structure of which had protected him from the worst of the falling debris. He was quickly rushed to the nearest hospital, where the attending surgeon was able to fix most of the burns with only minor scarring. Unfortunately, the damage to his retinas was extensive, and no amount of surgery would bring back their functionality. The doctor noted tiredly that the boy would be blind for the rest of his life.
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Wei and Mary Huang were a young-looking Chinese couple who lived in a two-story building near the heart of London. The first floor had been renovated when they moved in and was dedicated to the running of their martial arts school and weapons store, both of which enjoyed a steady, if at times trickling, flow of customers. The store in particular quickly became known throughout the burgeoning London martial arts community for its reasonable prices and quality merchandise. Both Huangs were adept in both managing the store and teaching classes, and indeed switched roles every other week. They were personable folk, friends with most of their neighbors and regular customers, and all were surprised when one day, quite without warning, they adopted a little blind boy.
His name became Harry J.P. Huang, and he seemed to fit in quite well at the Huangs' residence. Mr. and Mrs. Huang were firm in their insistence that yes, they had been thinking about adoption for a while, no, his blindness was not an issue, and yes, both businesses would continue running as they had been. They were consulting all the proper books and would send him to a school for the blind when he was five years old. The neighbors were a bit skeptical at first, but Harry was happy enough, and it was really none of their business anyway. So they let it be.
When Harry was a bit older, he began to learn Wing Chun, the martial art that the Huangs specialized in. Harry's blindness was actually an advantage here, helping him to develop his touch sensitivity and proprioception, awareness of his own body. He soon became a familiar sight in the beginner - and within a year or two, intermediate - classes, and the other students cheerfully adopted him as a mascot of sorts. By the time he was ten, Harry knew the six Wing Chun forms by heart, and had become fairly proficient in their version of sparring. He loved to use butterfly swords, the trademark weapon of the art, even if he sometimes hit himself with them.
Thus, Harry grew up with a healthy respect for sharp objects and a deep sense of gratitude for the people who taught him to overcome his disability without ever making it feel like one. He was a quiet but cheerful child, all the more so when he met those who could not see past his sightless eyes.
This is how things stood when the giant came.
A/N
I will assume that readers have finished all 7 books in the series. Read and review, please.
Disclaimer
I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. I am not J.K. Rowling*. Quod erat demonstrandum.
I own this story and some original characters but, sadly enough, am making no profit from my work.
*Of course, one can always argue that it is impossible to disprove the theory that we are all one being, whether through a shared consciousness, the cycle of reincarnation, or our existence as figments of some mighty god's imagination. Thus, one may say that I am, in fact, J.K. Rowling, and own by extension any and all of her properties, e.g. Harry Potter. However, for purposes of legal clarification, I shall assume otherwise.